It seems like every year viewers are hit with a new streaming service, whether it be Hulu Live, Sling TV or HBO Max. Streaming services are only becoming more profitable and competitive, and they are starting to resemble something we thought was pushed into the past: cable. However, that does not mean some are not worth the investment. In fact, the new NBC streaming service, Peacock, has quality features and entertainment. It stands out amongst its peers for a few reasons, one being that it is free.
Most first heard of Peacock when “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” were taken off Netflix, but the streaming service was officially released on July 15, 2020, as a division of NBCUniversal. Less than a year later, it already has over 33 million subscribers, and the number is only growing.
The site itself is user-friendly. When a viewer is on the streaming service, they can see it categorically organized into sections of channels, TV shows, films and separate Kids and Latino sections. The service is easy to navigate, unlike other streaming devices, with the viewer’s “Continue Watching” on top of the page and Peacock suggesting films and TV shows beneath it.
There are three options when purchasing a Peacock account: Free, Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus. The free version offers quality content with advertisements in between, much like Hulu. However, there is a limited selection of entertainment. Only half of Peacock’s content is available on the free version. For instance, all Harry Potter films are on Peacock but only the first three are free. To watch the rest, the viewer would have to upgrade their account.
Peacock Premium offers all entertainment content, like exclusive NBC shows such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” but still has advertisements that add up to five minutes in total. This plan is only $5 a month, so if a viewer is on a limited budget, but wants high-quality content, this might be the plan for them.
Finally, Peacock Premium Plus is $10 a month, but the viewer can enjoy all the 15,000 hours of high-quality content without advertisement interruptions.
One of the greatest factors setting Peacock apart from other streaming services is that it has films and TV shows viewers will not find anywhere else. Since it is owned by NBC, it of course has popular hit franchises like “The Office,” “Law Order,” “Modern Family” and “Parks and Recreation.” It is also the only current streaming service to offer every single “Harry Potter” film. Oscar-nominated films, such as “Bridesmaids,” are highlighted at the top of the film section and popular Universal films, like “Jurassic Park,” are also offered in the catalog.
For parents, there is an entire kids section that offers new episodes of “Curious George” and popular children’s films like “Happy Feet,” “Trolls” and “Despicable Me.”
For sports fans, Peacock offers live games from the English Premier League and WWE fights. This summer, Peacock is planning to stream the 2021 Summer Olympics that were postponed due to the pandemic. Of course, Peacock also offers viewers all episodes of “Saturday Night Live” and the “Late Night” shows. The streaming service also has released some of its own originals, like “Michael Phelps: Medals, Memories, More.”
The Peacock streaming service is available on all Roku, Apple and Android devices.